Vizio VAP430 Co-Star Streming Media Client (Black)

I've owned the Co-Star for about 2 months.Initially I thought it was a neat gadget to try out to see if I wanted or needed Google TV on the next big screen TV I would purchase. I also wanted to find that 1 tech device that will control everything (tired of having multiple remotes, etc.) I also figured that since these are on back-order (lack of supply) that I could resell it easily if I didn't like it.Install and overview:Co-Star took about 5 to 10 minutes to install and sync with everything, and has worked flawlessly since. It connects and controls everything in my entertainment system with no issues. Great device, the software keeps updating and getting better (my Co-Star is receiving software updates automatically from Google). The layout of the apps, and the navigation is better than the typical Vizio TV apps (for those of you that are familiar with the Vizio Apps layout). The new layout / navigation takes some getting used to just like any new technology. And like every new technology, it can use some software improvements. However, for $99 this far exceeded my expectations.The issue concerning the Co-Star remote control:The best thing about Co-Star is that I finally have a device / remote that consolidates and commands EVERY product that is hooked into my entertainment system. This is a huge plus! The Co-Star remote has a high degree of programability. It controls my Toshiba TV. Controls my Samsung Time Warner cable box.. full DVR control, access the guide, settings, search, schedule recordings, ff/play/rev, scroll in every direction, everything on the cable box! Controls my LG Blu-Ray surround sound system. XBOX 360.The layout / design of the remote is probably my only "complaint" about the product. The Co-Star remote is similar to every other Vizio TV remote... which are not backlit. My brain is just too wired into the button layout of my Time Warner cable remote that I have always used.... I can navigate the Time Warner cable remote if I were blindfolded, wearing mittens, while in a straight jacket. So not being backlit is the reason it is difficult for me to use the Vizio remotes in the dark. However, I downloaded the free app called ABLE REMOTE. This app turns your cell or tablet into a remote, it has bigger buttons, is much more intuitive, and is easier to use. It is so much easier to navigate than using the Co-Star remote's touchpad. It also allows you to program favorite channels, websites, etc. Honestly the ABLE remote app is better than my Time Warner cable remote. It's better than the Google Remote app too!.As for the big 4 items that I typically use:Netflix & Pandora work just like they should. Netflix layout is better with Co-Star than a typical Vizio TV apps.YouTube is very intuitive, & I like the Co-Star's YouTube layout / functionality. You get used to it very quickly, and you can scroll through 'related' videos amazingly quick. Again better than Vizio TV apps.Amazon VOD took some getting used to, because Co-Star does not use the standard Amazon "app". Co-Star essentially takes you right to Amazon's website through the Chrome browser, then you navigate to your Amazon playlist / watchlist just like you would typically do on a laptop. So, this is very different from what everybody has been used to with the Amazon "app" on Roku or Vizio TV's. The upside of using Amazon VOD on the Co-Star is that you can utilize Amazon's Watchlist functionality, and browse / search for titles much more thoroughly. However, I do wish that in addition to the full Amazon VOD website, that Amazon would have a simple "app" interface that had just 4 items: Purchases, Watchlist, Prime, and "go to full website". This would simplify the process of watching the movies I've already purchased or that I want to watch (instead of having to navigate to it through the browser).Other than the big 4:Inernet. It's a full Chrome browser. Syncs with all of my Chrome settings and bookmarks on my other devices. Works and looks the same as using my laptop. Using the included Vizio Co-Star remote isn't the easiest way to type and search the web on your TV.... so download the free ABLE remote app to your cell / tablet and you can type on your phone / tablet just like you currently do while using your TV as the display. It's 100% easier to browse the web this way.Google Play Music. Very nice feature to have on the TV screen. Google Music has been around for awhile, but I never really used it.... it was simpler to just use a playlist on Pandora through my entertainment system. Now that I've got the Google Play Music on the TV screen, I'm listening to my own playlists and the 1000 or so albums that I've actually purchased in my life, instead of always just using Pandora playlists.Google Play Movies. app works and integrates with all other devices. Also, Google Play Movies is very specific and lets you choose between buying a movie in SD, or buying in HD. It shows the price for either side by side, and lets me choose if I want to spend extra money for the HD version. Amazon could take a lesson here.Google PrimeTime. Nice to see what else is on TV that I might want to watch. This is somewhat like the suggestions you get from Netflix (Netflix suggests what you like based on how you've rated past titles)... Google PrimeTime is suggesting movies / shows that are currently (or coming on in next 1/2 hour) on your cable TV that you may want to watch (just like Netflix... on Google TV you have to start rating movies and tv shows for this to work well). Hoping for the ability in future software update to select my own "categories" instead of the standard "New", "Comedy", "Drama", etc categories that are currently used. ...just like I can customize the categories and the viewing order of my Google News sections..Google PrimeTime also allows you to search for a movie, and it will show you all the places you can watch the movie (On your own cable TV, Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, etc) and if you can rent it, or buy it, and the costs associated for each. This is a very nice feature, avoids the time involved with searching through my own Cable system, then searching Netflix, then searching Amazon to see where and how much a movie is that I want to see.I think the Google PrimeTime app has a ton of future expandibility. It's been updated once or twice since I've owned my Co-Star. They could link it with Google Drive, then essentially you have full TiVo / DVR capability. Again, this is at a $99 pricepoint all in, while currently Time Warner charges $10 / monthly rent per cable box. I'm interested to see what the Google software developers can do with the PrimeTime app.M-Go... still waiting to see what this is.OnLive... I don't play video games, so no opinion.Other apps?? I haven't really used anything else, but there's a bunch of other stuff there.Syncing to cell phone / tablet:The coolest thing about Co-Star is the ability for it to sync with my Android cell phone and tablet. I'm just learning how to use this, but it seems that the possibilities will explode very quickly. While using certain apps / features on my cell phone or tablet, I can hit a "share" icon on the phone's screen and the TV will display whatever is on my phone's screen. Photo's, slideshows, etc. When I'm using YouTube on my phone or tablet, I can hit the "share" icon on the phone / tablet and the video instantly starts also playing on the TV. I can then search and add more videos to the "view on tv queue" on my phone without interrupting the video that is currently playing on the TV. I think that this sharing functionality is part of the most recent update, and it is very neat. I'd hope that very quickly every app on my phone / tablet will allow this.Within the next 6 months, I don't see the need for specific Google TV apps for things like Facebook, Twitter, etc. It feels that Android capability to link your cell phone / tablet to the Co-Star is going to solve the entire issue and make it simpler than anybody imagined.The devices sync using your home wifi.Conclusion:My current 50" TV is 6 years old and works well. I bought it before all the new gadgets were invented, so I've used ROKU, Blu-Ray players with apps, and now the Co-Star to make my old TV much more functional. Roku and Blu-Ray player were both very simple and basic, but VERY limited and maybe 1 or 2 software updates over the years. The Co-Star was the least expensive, and best performing, and IMO has the best ability for ongoing software updates.The Co-Star is not perfect, it doesn't yet do everything in the world that all the technology reviewers are dreaming of... but it is getting software updates that have eliminated most of the initial complaints and improving the apps. So make sure to read the date of any reviews you have read. My review is as of today, Dec 20, 2012.It doesn't wash your car, cook your meals, take out the dog, have every app in the world, etc... so if you're dreaming about and waiting for THE DEVICE that does everything you want specifically for your own preferences and likes, then you're probably going to need to win the Powerball and hire your own engineers to build it for you.For $99 Co-Star is a great device for anybody that wants to use or try out internet capabilities, and begin using unified Android phone / tablet / TV capabilities on THEIR CURRENT TV set, prior to spending $1000 to $2000 for a new TV that will become outdated within 12 months. I believe that within 6 to 12 months, simply having the Co-Star communicate with your cell, laptop, or tablet will trump the idea of building the hardware into a TV set or some other gadget.And, for $99 it is a flat out great device with a lot of current capabilities that will only improve because Android keeps evolving and getting updated.EDIT: May 16, 2013.Just an update:I'm now so used to the remote control that it is no longer even an issue. My brain has learned where all the buttons are and I can easily use it in the dark. I also eventually figured out how to connect all my equipment so that the remote controls everything in my TV / Audio system.A standard Amazon App was released and included with the last software update a few months ago. So that issue is completely eliminated. The Co-star Amazon App is much better than on a Vizio TV set.The new PRIME app is probably what I like best about the Co-Star. And it truly does make "finding something to watch" much much much easier. The PRIME app is basically a new feature that pops up at the bottom of the screen and shows tiles of movies / tv shows currently on tv that you might be interested in. (it learns to know what you like!) The interface is clean, you scroll up / down for categories (similar to Netflix) and scroll horizontally for different titles (again, like Netflix). The items displayed are based on how you've already rated shows and movies. The more you use it and rate titles, the better it gets. Where this software completely blows away the Netflix software.... is that you can select the "Don't show this channel again" or "Not interested, don't show titles like this again", and the software will stop showing them as something you "might be interested in". I am so tired of the Netflix software that keeps showing me the same movies that I've already rated "waste of time". Netflix refuses to change their recommendation algorithms! The PRIME app software actually stops showing you items when you tell it you don't like them. Also, the PRIME app allows me to eliminate duplicate titles (HD and Standard def) playing at the same time by clicking on the "don't show this channel again" for the Standard def version. The learning algorithm needs your input, and I get EVERY channel that time warner cable offers....so probably after 2 weeks I had rated enough titles and eliminated standard def, spanish, etc type channels so that the PRIME app was getting really focused in to where it should be. The app also allows me to program a row that includes just my "favorite" channels. So, I NO LONGER USE THE Time Warner CHANNEL GUIDE AT ALL.Lastly, it feels that the purchase price of movies has jumped up so much versus 1 or 2 years ago!! With Co-star, if I want to watch a movie, I can quickly check to see if it is free on Netflix or Amazon Prime, or HBO-GO. If it isn't, then I can quickly check the rental / purchase price on Amazon, Google Play, VUDU, and M-Go. (there's also a 3rd party app that can do this too)I am amazed at the price differences for movies on the various platforms. I can also see the price for buying (or renting) in HD or standard def. I've definitely saved over $99 just by comparison shopping for movies I want to watch (or own).I initially bought the Co-Star to see if I wanted / needed Google TV as an internal feature when I purchase my next big screen TV. After using this device.... I no longer even think of it as "Google TV". TO ME IT SIMPLY FEELS LIKE HOW A TV SHOULD WORK in this world of cell phones/apps where we basically tailor almost everything to our specific needs. These google tv devices are bringing an open sourced functionality to the world of TV. Instead of having to scroll up / down through a channel guide with 1000 channels, the software has learned what types of shows / movies I like to watch and with a clean interface at the bottom of the screen it shows me where / when they will be on tv. Instead of being stuck having to purchase a movie from the specific app that is included from the tv manufacturer,,, I can comparison shop quickly across multiple video apps and buy from the app with lowest price. It just seems natural to have that ability to comparison shop.The Co-star and other devices still aren't perfect and the software is evolving. Based on the $99 cost for these type of open source devices, I'm much more inclined to just buy the tv with the best picture and not get bogged down with the manufacturer's internal branded apps and stuff. Plugging in a $99 OPEN SOURCE device is so much better than being stuck with the TV manufacturer's planned obsolescence.

Update #2 below:My replacement unit has worked for 6 months now. I like the product. It seems that some of them die. Troubling.....Update #1 below:*******WARNING:LIKE OTHER REVIEWERS HAVE SAID, IT DIES.MINE WAS SITTING ON A FAN 24 HOURS A DAY. IT NEVER GOT HOT.YET IT DIED ON MARCH 1, TWO MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE.Amazon, to their credit, is allowing a return, faster and easier than Vizio did, a full month after the return period. So I am getting a replacement. Of a piece of crap product. Not sure what to do with it. Amazon will stop carrying these because they are taking a bath on returns.***Original review below:Product: Vizio Co-StarInstalled: Two weeks (on January 3rd, 2013).Used: Fairly heavy.Technical Proficiency: Moderately high.Bias: I am not affiliated with Amazon, Vizio, and in no way profit or gain from my reviews. I shop a lot with Amazon and rely heavily on other peoples reviews. People NEED these reviews and USE them. So I try VERY hard to be honest and unbiased.Review Update #1) Google TV struggles with Plex and HLS (Http Live Streaming) meaning that a bunch of the channels on Plex wont work. They work with Roku.However, many of these same channels work if you use Chrome to navigate to the respective website and play the video directly from the site...but then the remote digi-pad becomes difficult to use. This product is "not quite there yet" but still offers a lot for a one-time fee of $99. I would still buy it again.Review Update #2) Ran the unit without the laptop cooling pad for a couple of days. It does run significantly hotter without the cooling pad. Probably not hot enough to cause damage. But I put it back on the cooling pad. It needs an internal cooling fan. A tiny one would do the trick.Review Update #3) January 13th, owned for four weeks. Moderate-to-heavy use. My Co-Star finally performed a complete, un-recoverable, total lockup. I was forced to hold in the re-set button, restore to defaults, and do a completely new setup. This took about 30 minutes total. The Co-Star kept its updates, so those steps did not have to be repeated. But I had to set up my devices and re-install my apps.Tips: Install dropobox first. Keep your side-load .apk files in your dropbox so you can reload them quickly. Sign-up for EVERYTHING and set up an account. Use the same gmail account for everything. Redux, Plex, Crackle, etc. Then, when the Co-Star goes belly-up, all you have to do is enter your email addy into the apps and your settings and channels will be saved. I was BUMMED that I had to do a complete re-setup. But it was pretty painless due to proper initial account setups.This machine is not quite ready for prime time. If you are not a tinkerer, don't want to mess with it, and expect perfection with no user input....then the Co-Star is not for you. If you don't mind tinkering a bit....you will love it. If mine dies I will get another and I will buy another google-tv device for my bedroom in the not too distant future. (Might get a different brand for comparison.) As far as smart TV's....Google TV is buggier. But it offers more. And it integrates well with the Android platform. All of my google music is available on the Co-Star. My apps play well together. My phone plays well with the device. I really like the Co-Star. I would like it more if it was more stable, locked up less, and didn't require a complete re-setup.Original Review:1) Setup:Don't listen to anyone who says setup is difficult and the unit doesn't work. I have a Motorola cable box/DVR combo unit with HD cable service (charter). I have 5 megabit cable internet service and a several year-old linksys wireless router. Unit set-up went well and unit works well. I don't believe it is a fluke. The unit is simple and seems put together well. And it works.I plugged the HDMI cable from the cable box into the Co-Star and from the Co-Star into the HD television.For initial set-up I strung an Ethernet cable across the floor and plugged the Co-Star directly to the router. Then I plugged in the power to the Co-Star. It fired right up, walked me through the setup, controlled all my hardware, and I started the first update. It crashed once during update (my internet service inexplicably went off-line right in the middle of the Co-Star software update).The crash caused the remote to stop working because the remote was still in Bluetooth mode while the Co-Star defaults back to IR mode when it crashes during setup. Just simultaneously press Q = Space (on the remote) to set remote back to IR mode. Then it works again. Not difficult.The Co-Star went through two software updates and restarts. It took about 30 minutes, total, including the crash. No big deal.2) OverheatingI have my Co-Star sitting on a laptop cooling pad that I already had. But the Co-Star only seems to run moderately warm. It does not seem to run hot. I will test it off of the cooling pad and verify. If it burns up I will update my review.3) FunctionalityIt does what it is supposed to do and does it quite well. It operates like an android phone. I immediately installed dropbox on the Co-Star so I could drop App apk files directly into dropbox and side-load apps (not listed in the app store for Google TV) directly onto the Co-Star. (Side-loading just means you search google for the apk file for the app you want (using your laptop) and when you download the apk file, drag it into dropbox on your laptop. It will appear in dropbox on your Co-Star and then just click the file. It will install. No worries.)The Plex app is almost required. It runs off of another computer in your home, lets you install a bunch of programming channels and stream videos, photos, media from your computer to your Co-Star. Gotta have it. I have it on an older laptop sitting around. I just lift the laptop lid to start plex and lower the lid to stop it. Works great.Anamorphic Video Fail: Co-Star does not seem to display anamorphic video. It squashes it into a 4:3 screen and cannot be over-ridden. This is an issue with the Co-Star. I expect it will be corrected in a later update. This is NOT an issue when streaming HD content through apps and channels, but it does cause issues when streaming video files from your computer to your Co-Star. But a PS3 will also connect to your plex server and stream your anamorphic files correctly.The included programming guide that everyone is so proud of is OK. It is inferior to my old-fashioned guide included with my cable box. When you include Crackle and Netflix into the guide, as well as your local programming, it does open up a new level of programming choices. Exponentially.4) WirelessI unplugged the Co-Star Ethernet after set up. It runs wireless from my router. It has full bars. Streams HD better than my cable provider, *sigh*. I have no issues with the speed or quality of video. Again...don't listen to people who say the wireless is poor. However...my Co-Star and my router are in the same room. I cannot testify to signal strength through walls or on different levels in the home.5) The Co-Star Experience:A lot of the programming apps (most of them, in fact) simply direct you to network TV file sites, cable TV file sites, and similar (Spike, CNN, CBS, NBC, Comedy Central, Daily Show, etc), and these apps/redirects do not offer live streaming, but rather a selection of previously recorded material. But the library is fairly extensive. How often will the networks rotate and update their content?A lot of the programming Apps are redirect tools for YouTube. I find myself redirected, by a channel app, back at YouTube, watching very good programming, quite often. But most of the YouTube content that I get directed to is HD quality and is worth watching. Without these apps directing me with programming guides I would likely never know this programming was on YouTube and never would have thought to look for it.Redux, another programming app, offers very good programming as well.Crackle is pre-installed and offers a lot of programming.I think Hulu is planning on offering a pay-only service and is not yet available.It is a better level of functionality (than say, the Roku) that the Co-Star overlays onto the cable signal. And PIP works while surfing around the Co-Star, so your current programming still runs in the PIP window. My weatherbug app (sideloaded) pops up local weather info on my tv screen while I am watching cable. How neat. (this can be disabled).6) Co-Star vs. Roku:I don't have a Roku, but from my research, Roku has Hulu and a very simple interface. Both plusses.However, Co-Star will have Hulu (paid version only) soon, and a more complete interface. AND the Co-Star has the Chrome browser. This is very useful for video streaming sites that stream from their webpages only. And there are many other uses. Even checking email and checking shipping dates on Amazon, etc. No...the television is not a web browser. My laptop is still preferred over my tablet, phone or tv for in-depth web-browsing. But the functionality of the browser is a very good option. With a Bluetooth keyboard the Co-Star would be a perfectly acceptable web browser. AND the Co-Star integrates seamlessly with cable, running into the same input on the television.Therefore, in my opinion, the Co-Star is the better purchase. It does anything the Roku can do...except Hulu...and it does a couple of things the Rolu can't do...like have a Chrome browser and the ability to side-load thousands of Android apps and integrate with the cable/satellite signal.7) Bugs and lockups:The Co-Star has required a re-boot each time I have used it extensively. I do a lot, run many apps, stream video, and connect to a media server. I may be filling up the cache. I need to install a cache dumper. But yeah...I have had to re-boot several times. Never more than once during a session. Takes about 1 minute for a reboot.8) Remote Control:It does not replace my universal remote from my cable company. My cable universal remote can micro-manage my audio, cable, dvr, and tv, menus and everything. The Co-Star remote cannot.However, the Co-Star remote IS very functional. It is very useful. It works quite well. It has both Bluetooth and IR. It interfaces with the Co-Star through Bluetooth, so it is not directional. You can point it anywhere and it still works. It also has an IR port for communication with tv and cable box. It can interface with my cable box guide, dvr, and tv. But it has limited functionality with these other devices. It does control the cable box well, but lacks a page up/down, which is a MAJOR limitation.As for all this nonsense about sitting perfectly level for it to work right....horsefeathers! It has an accelerometer to know which side is facing up. Once it knows that, it works fine. I have typed on the keyboard with the unit standing up almost perpendicular to the ground...no problems at all. You have to be careful with your typing speed. Too fast skips letters and too slow causes repeat letters...but type at the correct speed and no issues at all. The mouse pad is fine. You just have to adjust the sensitivity. It does scroll too fast. And there is no adjustment. Probably will be included in a future update.The remote works fine. It does not replace my really good universal remote but it is very capable and works perfectly fine. No complaints whatsoever.9) In Summary:I do not think that Google TV or Roku can truly replace cable/satellite yet. But they are a GREAT supplement to cable with no monthly fees (unless you buy netflix). What is bad about adding thousands of programming choices to your existing cable tv for a one-time fee of $99? It is sort of a no-brainer.Yeah--most, if not all of what Google TV can do, can also be done on a laptop. So you are essentially paying for an HD quality, Internet-available programming device that makes it simple to display such Internet (and Netflix) programming on your TV. Again...for $99 this is a good thing. The YouTube app, using your phone or tablet to display content on the TV, opens up a whole new level of tv-fun with friends (a PS3 also does this). Everyone can pair up their smart phones to the youtube app and everyone can add programs to the queue, to be displayed on the TV and heard through the sound system. Everyone in the room is a DJ. Awesome!The Vizio Co-Star is not junk. Not garbage. Does not run blazingly hot (mine is moderately warm, but mine is on a laptop cooling pad), sets up easily, interfaces well with cable/satellite, works well with wireless, can load many Android apps, connects to a media server, has a good remote, and is pretty much a no-brainer. For $99 it is almost disposable. It costs MUCH more than that to take two people to an NFL game, pay for gas, parking, drinks and hot dogs, and dinner on the way home. Think about it.I would purchase it again, for $99. And you should too. If you purchase as a supplement to cable/satellite and take the time to install the correct apps (redux, plex, etc) and set up channels, this device is well worth the one-time fee of $99.